Located in Maricopa County, Arizona, Tempe Town Lake is a lake at about 350 m (1,148 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 2.3 km (1.4 mi) NNE of Tempe Junction.
Tempe Town Lake is an artificial perennial reservoir located just north of Tempe Butte at the confluence of the intermittent Salt River and the ephemeral Indian Bend Wash in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The reservoir receives most of its water from the Colorado River through the Central Arizona Project. On July 20, 2010, a portion of the west side of the dam that contained the water in the lake collapsed, sending a flood of water into the Salt River and draining the lake.From the Wikipedia article “Tempe Town Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tempe Town Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:32 AM | 90° E | 6:40 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 61° ENE | 7:41 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:17 AM | 89° E | 6:26 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:29 AM | 118° ESE | 5:25 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 56m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:05 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 11m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 6:14 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:32 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:31 AM | 6:25 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:24 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:49 PM | 13h 53m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:18 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:09 PM | 14h 21m |
| July | 5:01 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 14h 09m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:25 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:41 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 5:47 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:01 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:08 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:06 AM | 5:22 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:20 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 57m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Tempe Town Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 9 (inner-city sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 5:07 AM – 5:47 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:09 AM – 5:09 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:06 AM – 4:26 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:08 PM – 3:48 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:23 PM – 3:33 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:19 PM – 2:09 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:46 PM – 12:06 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:18 PM – 7:58 PM | 0.7 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 9 Bortle 9 — Inner-city sky. Only the Moon, planets and a few bright stars are visible. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 17.96 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 18% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (49%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 81 | 82 | 93 | 98 | 107 | 114 | 112 | 110 | 109 | 101 | 91 | 79 |
| Low °F | 16 | 19 | 25 | 31 | 39 | 53 | 65 | 64 | 50 | 33 | 23 | 18 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this lake
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- For mirror reflections, get low and close to the water; the reflection grows with a lower camera.
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, Wide-angle lens, Waterproof boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Tempe Town Lake, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Botanical Garden
Scenic Viewpoint
Natural Arch
Botanical Garden
Mountain PeakNatural ArchScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tempe Town Lake?
What time is golden hour at Tempe Town Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tempe Town Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tempe Town Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tempe Town Lake?
How far is Tempe Town Lake from Tempe Junction?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.